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Claimed:Handicapping the S43 RotY Race [Final 6/6]

CowboyinAmerica
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CowboyinAmerica

CowboyinAmerica 2,887

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Handicapping the Rookie of the Year race

 

Approximately halfway through Season 43, analysts are quickly coming to realization that the Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy race is turning us into a collective Jon Snow: We know nothing. While a majority of the Rookie of the Year ballots featured names such as Patrick Demko and Severin von Karma, high profile Season 42 draftees that had another year to grow in the VHLM, the reality instead sees Season 43 draftees are the fore.

 

Of course, there are arguments for and against every single rookie in this year’s field. That’s we decided to make both arguments ourselves, channeling our inner lovers and haters. Here, ranked from fourth to first, are the players we feel still have a realistic shot at winning Rookie of the Year.

 

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4. D Patrick Demko – Quebec City Meute

 

Why he could win: As the only top rookie playing for one of the top teams in the league, it was always going to be a struggle for Demko to find his own niche alongside Bruno Wolf, Jake Wylde and the rest of the gang. Somehow, however, Demko has been piling up points — and not just cheap second assists. Demko’s 9 goals are third among rookies (and tied for fifth among defensemen!) and his 21 total points are tops among rookie defensemen, four more than Stockholm’s Patrick York Morgan.

 

Why he would lose: First of all, 21 points looks decent, but that figure is still just 60 percent of E’Twaun Delicious’s rookie-leading 35 point total. That’s not particularly solid, especially when Demko’s likely had more perfect opportunities playing alongside his ultra-talented line. The killer, though, could be that Demko’s defensive game surprisingly does not match his offensive game. While his 57 shots blocked is a decent total, his 30 hits so far this season (less than one per game) is atrocious for a defenseman and shows that he has a long way to go to becoming a well-rounded player.

 

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3. G Hans Wingate – Calgary Wranglers

 

Why he could win: Despite being the rookie with the most TPE entering the season, Wingate received a surprisingly little amount of Rookie of the Year buzz. That all changed, however, when he got out to a blazing hot start, finishing his first 15 games with a .929 save percentage and two shut-outs. Although he has cooled off in the interim, his current .920 save percentage would at least be the highest in the past eight seasons (Martin Brookside had .919 in S37), and as of late, Calgary has looked especially punchy.

 

Why he would lose: Ultimately, the primary function of a goaltender is to win the game. Similar to a pitcher in baseball, while the rest of the team helps, the glory and blame often fall to the goalie. So how, in their right minds, could the voters pick a goalie that has the most losses among non-computer goaltenders at 21? Thanks to facing the most shots among non-computer goaltenders as well, his 2.74 GAA doesn’t look so hot either, seventh-best in the league. Even his two shutouts get dulled a bit by the fact that DAV G now has three in five games (although, granted, two of those shutouts came against Wingate’s Calgary team).

 

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2. C Bronson Faux – Riga Reign

 

Why he could win: It’s safe to say at this point that the Jamie player agency has a type. Fresh off of Brennan McQueen, one of the hardest-hitting two-way forwards in VHL history, Faux has followed directly in his footsteps. His 158 hits through 35 games is good for second in the league behind Bruno Wolf, cementing Faux as yet another star two-way forward in the making. Couple that with a solid 12 goals and 10 assists, good for second among rookies in goals and third in points, and Faux has the all-around resume that others can’t match.

 

Why he would lose: How much of a boon is having a lot of hits, anyway? In Riga, the current cupboard is even barer than in New York; often, Faux is the only player with enough skating ability to actually reach the guy with the puck. That could artificially raise his hits total. I’d be wary of potential regression in goals during the second half of the season as well, as with only 70 shooting, a 16.44 percent shot percentage seems unsustainable. Given that Faux is six goals and seven assists behind Delicious as it is, falling further behind may create a chasm that a high hits total can’t bridge.

 

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1. RW E’Twaun Delicious – New York Americans

 

Why he could win: It’s all about the scoring, baby. Despite not being the top option in New York (that would be Nicolas Caprivi or Mario De Rossi), Delicious has become a playmaker from his wing position. His 18 goals outpace second place Faux by six and are more than third and fourth place (Demko and Stockholm’s Prince Gigga-Bijou) combined. His 17 assists, meanwhile, trail only Gigga-Bijou, and his 35 points in 35 games make him the only winger sniffing the Faraday Line (one point per game). There isn’t a single other rookie this year that can keep up with his scoring. And with a 8.53 percent shot percentage, his goals could actually increase in the second half.

 

Why he could lose: Let’s just say that Bronson Faux he is not. Delicious has a total of six hits and eight shots blocked on the entire season; he runs into more people in the pre-game buffet line than he does on the ice. With that in mind, it’s no wonder that he’s leading in points; that’s what he’s supposed to do. In the end, it’s almost a negative that he’s not more in front of Faux and Gigga-Bijou in points, especially given the young and talented first line he plays with. He certainly doesn’t have the well-rounded game to fall back upon if that scoring falls off.  

Edited by CowboyinAmerica
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